


Partners in Chem

by memorizingthedigitsofpi



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Academy Fic, Annoying classmate, Assumed Relationship, Awkward Bed Sharing, Awkward Conversations, Awkward Crush, Crushes, First Meeting, Gen, Rated T for language, Tumblr Prompt, chem lab
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-13
Updated: 2015-12-06
Packaged: 2018-03-30 10:30:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3933385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/memorizingthedigitsofpi/pseuds/memorizingthedigitsofpi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Fitz and Simmons first meet in their Chem Lab, they don't exactly hit it off right away. Soon enough, though, they have a tentative friendship.... and a couple of awkward crushes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [nightlocktime](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightlocktime/gifts), [atomicsupervillainess](https://archiveofourown.org/users/atomicsupervillainess/gifts), [englishsandwich](https://archiveofourown.org/users/englishsandwich/gifts).



Fitz panted outside the door, trying to refill his lungs after his mad dash across the quad.  _First day of the semester, and I'm late. This is going to be a great term, alright._

With one last deep breath, he pushed open the door to the chem lab.

 _Damnit_. Everyone was already paired off. He looked around to try to see the odd one out, but the lab was so large and the shelving units so packed that he didn't have a chance in hell of just sneaking in and finding his partner. With a sigh and a shuffling gait, he made his way over to Dr. Levchenko.

"Leopold," she greeted him shortly, taking in his hangdog expression. "Starting the term off right, I see."

"Sorry, Roumi," he winced.  _God, she looks just like my mum when I track mud into the house._ There was nothing worse than disappointing someone you looked up to. "I swear it won't happen again."

She sized him up for a moment, giving him the raised brow of disdain that always made her own kids cower. Once he looked appropriately sheepish, she relented and nodded. "Alright, Fitz," she conceded. "I suppose everyone's allowed **one _._** "

"Thanks," he sighed, relief flooding through him. "So who am I...?" he gestured to the benches. _Hopefully no one too abysmally moronic._

"You're with Jemma Simmons," Roumi informed him, bouncing slightly on her toes. "Bench 13."

Fitz's eyes widened and he actually **felt** himself go pale. "S-Simmons?" he asked, his relief now replaced with terror.

"I have high hopes for the two of you," Roumi smiled. Then her face got serious again. "Don't disappoint me."

He gulped and nodded. Hitching his bag higher up on his shoulder, he turned and walked slowly towards his doom.

\---------------------

Jemma ground her teeth together as she went about setting up her lab bench the way she liked it. _Of course_   _I'm paired up with the only other teenager at the Academy. And **of course** he's a layabout who can't even get to class on time. _ How he'd managed to get a PhD boggled her mind, if this was the type of work ethic he had. _Brilliant or not, you should still put forth your best effort._

She looked up at the sound of a squeaky shoe beside her, and there he was. All gawky and awkward and staring at her like she had two heads and fangs. _Well good, then. He **should** be scared, coming in almost ten minutes late._

"I'll thank you to be punctual from now on," she said rather shortly, turning back to what she'd been doing. "I don't plan on carrying you through the term." She resumed her cataloguing and organizing. "And I'm sorry if you don't like the way I keep my bench, but I have a system and you weren't here to argue against it."

She paused with a box of 10 µL pipette tips and forced herself to close her eyes and take a breath. _Just because **he** has terrible manners doesn't mean **I** can be rude_. Putting down the box, she turned and pasted a smile on her face, sticking out her hand.

"Let's try that again," she suggested apologetically. "Jemma Simmons."

When he continued to stand there staring at her like she'd just suggested having a snack of babies and puppies, her smile turned into a frown. She lowered her hand as her jaw jutted forward. _Fine. Wrong foot continuing_. What did she care, as long as he stayed out of her way?

"As you like," she shrugged, turning back to the bench and shoving the pipette tips into a drawer with force. She slammed the drawer shut and reached up for the glassware.

\---------------------

Fitz stood frozen on the spot throughout the entire scene, unable to make his mouth or his body move at all. _You're messing it up, you git! She's going to hate you now!_ But no matter what his brain shouted at him, he stayed rooted where he was. _This has to be a nightmare, doesn't it?_

 _But how can I possibly work with **Jemma Simmons**_? She was the first person he'd met who was smarter than he was, and he didn't know how that conversation worked. Would she find him as boring and pedestrian as he found his classmates back home? Would he be able to offer her some interesting insights like his mates at MIT? _What if she just dismisses me out of hand as an idiot and ignores me for the rest of the semester?_

If he didn't do something soon, that last one was definitely going to be it.

That was enough to finally thaw his limbs. Stepping forward, he stretched one arm above her for the Erlenmeyer flask that was just out of her reach.

She turned to look at him in surprise while his arm was still up there, and suddenly he realized that he was standing probably too close to her.

He caught a whiff of her shampoo. _Alright, **definitely** too close to her_.

Swallowing awkwardly, he brought his arm down and presented the flask to her, roughly an inch from the end of her nose. He tried to smile, but he was pretty sure he made a hash of that, as well.

"Erm," he swallowed again. "Fitz," he said hesitantly.

\---------------------

Her eyes almost crossed as they focused on the flask right in front of them.

"Where?" she asked, leaning her head back and reaching out to take the glassware from him. _We'll definitely be having a chat about personal space, then._

"Pardon?" he asked, and he looked as confused as she felt.

"Where do you think it fits?" she asked, scooching over to the side along the bench to put a bit more distance between them. _If he has a particular way he likes to arrange things, I **suppose** I can hear him out. Unless his way is wrong, of course. Which it probably is._

He frowned and shook his head. "No no," he disagreed, waving his hands in front of him. " **I'm** Fitz," he said. "That's my name."

Now it was her turn to be confused. "I thought you were Leopold. Or Leo?" she asked. The look on his face when she said that was almost payback for his lateness. _Clearly, he does **not** like to be called that_. She filed that away for future reference.

He shook his head vehemently. "Not if I have any say in the matter," he said.

_He obviously doesn't always have a say. Professor Vaughn always calls him Leopold. Maybe that's why he never seems to pay attention in class?_

"Very well, _Fitz_ ," she said, and it was an effort not to make some sort of joke about him Fitzing in at the Academy. "Now, do you have any preferences for how to arrange the bench?" She arched an eyebrow at him and crossed her arms. _This ought to be good_.

\---------------------

Fitz looked over what she'd done so far. _She has her tools and pipettes on the right hand side, so she must be right-handed. The trash bin's there, too, perfect for easy disposal_. All of the common solutions were on the left and the uncommon ones were on a shelf above them. She had a clear, workable space in the middle of the bench and her notebooks were off to the side, well away from any potential reactions.

He nodded in approval. "Looks perfect," he said. _Not that I'm surprised that Simmons has a perfectly-ordered bench, but still._

"Really?" she asked, and she obviously hadn't been expecting that.

"Yeah," he confirmed.  _She must've been expecting an argument or something._ "I'm right-handed too, so this works for me."

She blinked a few times, and he wondered what she might be thinking. He was just going to ask, when she spoke.

"Well," she nodded back, a stiff smile on her face. "That's just fine then, isn't it?" She turned back to the bench and shuffled a rack over a few inches, paused, and then shuffled it back.

"Mmhmm," he agreed.

Silence opened up between them, and Fitz searched frantically through his brain for something to say. **Anything** to say. _C'mon you thick-headed idiot! You've had a whole semester to think of something bloody clever to say and you haven't managed it. Now you have to come up with it in the next three seconds!_ He rubbed the back of his neck and willed his mind to stop being blank, but to no avail.

"So..." he began, just as she started to speak.

\---------------------

"How much do you know about inductively coupled plasma - mass spectrometry detection in analysis of inorganic compounds at trace levels?"

Jemma felt the heat on her cheeks and knew she was blushing. _Blushing! That's ridiculous!_ Since when did she _blush_ when someone told her she did something perfectly? She _always_ did things perfectly. Or nearly always, at least. _True, the people calling me perfect aren't usually as bright as I am, but just because I value the opinion doesn't mean it's cause for embarrassment_. Or flusterment. Or whatever this was.

Really, this was no time for any of that. She needed to know who she was working with and just how much of their assignments she was going to have to expect to do. While she hadn't had to take over a project completely since she'd started here at the Academy, she was just waiting for that day to come.

_Honestly, whose idea was it to give group assignments, anyway? It was totally unfair to..._

She snapped her attention back as she realized Fitz was answering her.

"... -ronmental and clinical applications," he was saying. "But my real interest is in instrument design and calibration methods." At this point, his face lit up. "Wait! Let me show you!" He swung his backpack off and dropped it on the stool so he could open it. After rooting around for a moment, he pulled out a triple-paneled tablet.

She couldn't help but be interested in the technology as he slid his left hand under the elastic on the back and started tapping on the screens. She'd never seen anything like it before. "Where did you get that?" she asked, reaching out to tilt the screen towards her. _A triptych approach to handheld computing would allow for much more flexibility and compatability between-_

"Made it," he shrugged, focusing on what he was doing. "One second..."

Jemma's eyes moved from the tablet to his boyish face and back to the tablet. _**He** made **this**? _ Her eyebrows rose in surprise. It seemed she'd underestimated Leopold Fitz. As she watched his fingers moving over the touch screen, she started to reevaluate him. _He might be useful after all._

\---------------------

"There!" Fitz said triumphantly, sliding the tablet off his hand and offering it to her. "These are some of my designs." When she hesitated for a moment, he pushed it into her hands. "Go on then," he encouraged her. "Take a look and see what you think."

He held his breath as she scrolled through the designs, rotating the tablet or zooming in on certain aspects. _Please think they're good? Please?_ Her face gradually changed from unsure to interested to surprised and finally impressed. By the time she looked up and met his eyes, he was smiling nervously.

"So?" he asked.

"So," she answered, slowly placing the tablet on the lab bench and then looking up at him once more. "I think this is going to be a pretty good term after all," she smiled.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> inspired by and dedicated to atomicsupervillainess/0hcicero

Fitz smiled at Jemma as she finished cleaning up their bench at the end of the lab. She was so nice, he was ashamed that he'd ever been afraid to talk to her. 

_Nice, and more than a little bit pretty._

He wished he could stop noticing that fact, but then she'd go and crinkle her nose at him or touch his wrist while laughing at one of his jokes, and he'd be right back where he always ended up: heart in his throat, palms sweating, and trying not to stare. 

"Dinner?" she asked, looking at him expectantly. It had become a sort of tradition between them over the past few weeks to go to dinner together after lab. She didn't really need to ask, but she always did.

_Like I'd say no._

He gulped and nodded his agreement.  _Idiot,_ he silently cursed himself. She'd almost caught him looking at her like a lovesick puppy. He really needed to be more careful. 

* * *

Jemma slung her backpack over her shoulder and looped her arm through Fitz's as they started to leave the classroom. He stiffened momentarily, but he neither removed his arm from hers nor voiced any discomfort, so she offered him a gentlemanly way out. 

"Did you remember your phone?" she asked, looking back over her shoulder at their bench. He'd forgotten it last class. _Searching for it will give him an excuse to pull his arm away if he wants to._

"Got it right here," he smiled back, patting his front left pocket. 

She smiled back, her chest tingling with hope that he'd left their arms intertwined. _Maybe I'm not just seeing things? Maybe he **does** like me? A little bit?_ She bit the inside of her cheek and tried to control her desire to blush. 

"Good," she sighed happily. "I don't know what you'd do without it," she laughed. 

"I'd be better off without my phone than I would without you," he laughed back. Then his eyes widened and he tripped over something on the floor, and she didn't have a chance to process what he'd said because she was worried he'd hurt himself.

* * *

"Are you ok?" Jemma asked him, concern all over her face. She'd caught him when he'd tripped, and now she had one arm looped through his and her other hand pressing into his chest.

 _God, I hope she can't feel how fast my heart is beating._

" **Oh my god!** " came a shriek to their right, and then Tina was bounding over, earning glances from half dozen other students. "Did you guys finally get together?" she asked, her face an interesting mixture of rabid curiosity and smug satisfaction. Clearly, she was very much invested in their answer. 

"W-w-what?" Fitz asked, horrified. He could literally  _feel_ the blood draining from his face. _This can't be happening, can it?_  

Tina enveloped them both in a wide hug, squeezing them tight before stepping back and bouncing on her toes. "I  **knew** you two kids would hook up!" she said triumphantly. "You're  **perfect** for each other!"

Fitz glanced at Jemma out of his peripheral vision and noticed that she was staring at Tina in shock and what looked like it might be disgust. _Oh god. This is happening. Kill me now.  
_

"Yeah," he chuckled lamely, grabbing Jemma's wrist and removing her hand from his chest. "Perfect  **lab partners**." He turned to Jemma and rolled his eyes, still laughing humourlessly, and pointed a thumb in Tina's direction.  _Make it a joke. If you make it a joke she won't know you want it to be true._

* * *

Jemma took a slightly shaky breath as the hope she'd had a moment before melted out of her chest. Lab partners. Of course.  _Idiot_ , she cursed herself.  _As if he'd want to date me just because I happen to be the same age and geographically convenient._

She smiled and rolled her eyes in return, shaking her head at Tina. "We're just friends, Tina," she explained patiently.  _Clearly that's all he wants, so that's all I want too._ She pushed down on the ache that sprang into her chest at the thought.

"Uh huh," Tina nodded knowingly. "With benefits?"

Jemma blushed bright red because, honestly? She'd considered it. 

Fitz, meanwhile, looked extremely confused. "You mean like insurance?" he asked, brow wrinkling.

Tina looked from him to Jemma and back again. "Ask your girlfriend," she suggested with a broad wink. "From the looks of things, she knows what I mean."

Jemma pressed her lips together and wished she could somehow open the floor and disappear. _Or better yet, make **Tina** disappear_. Then at least she'd still get to have dinner with Fitz. 

Except now he was also sliding his arm out from where it was looped through hers. She tried not to shiver at the sudden feeling of coolness that replaced the warmth of his body beside hers. 

* * *

Jemma was definitely looking unhappy with this entire line of questioning from Tina, seeming more and more uncomfortable with each passing second. Clearly, she didn't like the idea of people thinking they were a couple. _Of course she doesn't, you numpty. Before last month, she'd never even **spoken** to you, why would she want to **date** you?_

Feeling absolutely miserable and trying not to show it, he slipped his arm out of hers and let it fall useless at his side. It felt strangely heavy without the lightness of her hand on his wrist. 

"She's  **not** my bloody  **girlfriend** ," he growled, glaring at Tina and feeling his hands curl into fists.  _And now, thanks to your bloody huge mouth, she never will be!_ he added silently to himself. "Now shut up!"

Tina looked rather surprised by his outburst and threw her hands up while taking a half step back. "Hey, it was an honest mistake!" she said defensively. "You two are beyond adorable together, you work well together, and you could cut the sexual tension with a  **knife**."

 _Sexual-!_ Fitz's jaw dropped at that last item, but he brought it back up quickly with a snap.  _Ohgod._

Next to him, Jemma heaved a weary sigh and gave Tina a pitying look. "If this is what you think sexual tension looks like, I feel bad for your girlfriend."

 _Did she just-?_ Fitz's jaw dropped again, and this time he didn't bother trying to pick it back up. He was too busy enjoying the discomfitted look on Tina's face and the triumphant one on Jemma's. _She's bloody **am**_ ** _azing!_**

And then Jemma was grabbing his limp, sweaty hand in her firm, cool one and dragging him away. 

* * *

"How do you do that?" Fitz asked in awe as she pulled him down the hall and out the double doors at the front of the building.

"Do what?" Jemma asked, blinking rapidly due to the slight pricking in her eyes. If she hadn't been sure before, she was definitely certain now. _Fitz most definitely does **not** want to date me. At all. Ever_. 

"Keep calm when someone's trying to rile you up," he explained. 

"Oh," she said vaguely, looking down at their hands and releasing his. "I just..." she swallowed hard and steeled herself before smiling and looking into his eyes. "I just roll my feelings up in a ball in my stomach to deal with later," she shrugged.  _God knows I've been doing it almost daily ever since we met._

Fitz frowned, wiping his palm on his jeans, and she wondered if he were trying to wipe  **her** off. "That doesn't seem healthy," he observed carefully. 

"Oh, it's probably not," she agreed airily, continuing to walk along the path to the cafeteria. "But it is effective in situations like that."  _And in situations where you really want to cry about a boy and that boy is standing right in front of you._

Fitz nodded in agreement, and she could see the wheels turning in his head. Not for the first time, she wished she knew what he was thinking. _If only we had some kind of psychic link, I would have realized earlier that he wasn't interested and I wouldn't now be trying to get over a ridiculous crush_. 

"Still want dinner?" he asked a bit hesitantly.

Given the slightly nauseated look on his face, she was surprised he was still hungry. For her own part, she didn't want dinner so much as she wanted ice cream. And cookies. And a fresh box of tissues. 

"I think I'll pass," she smiled wanly. He clearly didn't want to be spending time with her just now, but politeness dictated that she gave an unrelated excuse. "I just realized I haven't done the problem sets for Dr. Hall yet, and I told him we'd discuss them tomorrow."

* * *

Fitz's mouth felt suddenly dry as he realized that Jemma was trying to find an excuse to get away from him. It was worse than he'd thought.  _Even the idea of us being a couple is so horrible she can't stand to look at me now._

He returned her weak smile with one of his own and ran a hand through his hair. "Right," he nodded, searching around for a way to get them past this awkwardness. _I don't **need** to date her, but I do need to keep her as a friend_. "Gimme a call if you want some help," he shrugged. It was the best he could come up with.

"I will," she said, and this time her smile seemed more genuine. "You  **do** have your phone, after all," she joked. 

"Yeah," he chuckled, feeling a pit open up in his stomach as she turned to take the path that branched off to her dorm. _Please don't go?_ "Well..."

* * *

He just looked so lost and uncomfortable, Jemma couldn't resist leaning forward and kissing his cheek. _Having Fitz as a friend is more important than having him as a boyfriend, after all._  

"Are we okay?" she asked, looking at him hopefully.

"Yeah," he nodded shyly. 

With one last exchange of smiles, Jemma turned to go to her room. She'd spend the night eating junk food and watching romantic comedies, and by tomorrow morning she'd feel a lot better. At least, she hoped so.

* * *

Fitz watched her go, his smile lingering on his face. He'd go and eat dinner and open that new book he'd been saving and drown himself in another world til he felt better. Thankfully, it was part of a series. 

As he continued his way to the cafeteria, he couldn't help pressing his fingers to his cheek. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> written with the help of notthestupidcatagain  
> dedicated to everyl1ttleth1ng and DrSWHolmes who wanted more of this 'verse :)  
> inspired by an anon question on the fitzsimmonsfic tumblr that made me think, "Why isn't there more awkward bed sharing in the FS fandom?"

Fitz stared at the ceiling from his position wedged against the wall and tried to remember the exact sequence of events that had lead to him getting himself into this position.

  1. **End of term**. Exams are over, papers are submitted, and everyone is feeling good. _Sure. No problems there_.
  2. **Party at Tina's parents' cabin**. It's only an hours' drive from the Academy, and who's going to say no to a cabin on a lake with everyone bringing food and alcohol? _No one, that's who_.
  3. **Alcohol.** He hadn't indulged all that much, preferring to pace himself and watch the Americans act like idiots. Plus, Jemma had said that she didn't enjoy drinking to excess, so...  He lifted his head as much as he dared and looked over at the loudly snoring individual in the other bed. _Too bad not everyone is as sensible as Simmons._
  4. **Kissing.** Again, he hadn't indulged in the activity, although he'd certainly thought about it quite a bit. He closed his eyes and clenched his free hand into a fist, fighting the urge to think about it again. _That'll only cause you trouble at this point, mate._
  5. **Couples.** Sort of went with the kissing, actually. Anyone who hadn't been coupled up when they arrived at the cabin was coupled up now. _Except me and Jemma._ He squeezed his eyes tighter as he remembered the significant (and completely un-subtle) looks Tina kept throwing their way all evening. But that shouldn't have mattered too much. They'd been told they'd have to share a room (a revelation that had almost given him a heart attack) but that there would be two beds. He opened his eyes for the sole purpose of rolling them at the ceiling. _Didn't quite work out that way, now did it?_
  6. **Drunk Bobby.** He was always the life of the party, and he always drank til he passed out. And he was currently passed out in the other bed in the room.



Well, that's where the problem was then. _Should have steered him into Tina's room when I saw him start to stagger_. Jemma shifted slightly in the bed beside him, nuzzling her head a bit deeper into the pillow that was trapping his hand, and Fitz tried to burrow even closer in to the wall while not removing it. Of course, the **wall** wasn't what he really wanted to snuggle up with, but...

* * *

Jemma tried to keep her breathing even and pretend to be asleep, but it was remarkably difficult when she was sharing a bed with someone. Even more difficult when it was a single bed and that person was Fitz.

They were still in that awkward phase of new-friendship where they were comfortable enough to joke around and tease each other, but they weren't 100% confident that the teasing wouldn't be taken seriously. They ate meals together more often than not, but they never shared their food. She had only recently learned how he took his tea. She was just starting to see him as a complete individual rather than the genius boy she couldn't seem to stop talking to, and she hoped he was starting to realize she was more than just a brilliant scientist. She was also a girl.

Add in the fact that she still hadn't quite managed to stop thinking about how cute he was, and it just made the situation that much worse. _He smells so good, it's just unfair._ How was she supposed to get over him if he insisted on having such incredibly blue eyes and amazingly pink lips and hair that just looked so soft... _And on top of all of that, he smells fantastic. Just kill me now._

She turned her head away from his on the pillow and felt him melt even further away from her. _What is that about? Is it an unconscious sleep response? Or is he awake and thinks I smell rank?_

On the off chance that it was the latter, she kept her sigh to herself rather than notify him that she was awake too. It had been awkward enough to talk to him when they'd been standing  **beside** the bed. She cringed internally at how horrible it would be to try to talk now that they were **in** it.

* * *

 "And this one's for Fitz and Simmons," Tina announced as she ended the bedroom tour. Her statement was greeted by variations on the theme of, "Oooohhhh" and some general laughter and clapping.

Jemma took a half step away from Fitz and carefully rubbed her palms over her jeans. She'd been unconsciously brushing her fingers against his hand as they walked around the large chalet and it was the idea of their sharing a bedroom that had drawn her attention to it.

 _Stop blushing_. "I'm sorry?" she asked pleasantly. "Both of us?" She risked a glance over at Fitz and he looked completely miserable. His face was so red it was verging on purple and his expression was anything but happy. _Was he hoping to try it on with one of the other girls tonight?_

"Oh, don't worry," Tina smiled, although the glint in her eyes made it seem more predatory than friendly. "There's two beds." She turned to address their classmates. "This is the one the **little kids** use when we're all here on vacation."

 _It'll take more than that to rile me up._ Jemma smiled back icily as she opened the door to put her bag inside. "Sounds lovely," she said, all perfect British manners.

"You understand," Tina said, turning to Fitz this time. "We wanted the other rooms for the **couples**." She pierced him with a evaluative look. "So they could have some **privacy** ," she continued.

"Yeah, I got that," Fitz grumbled rolling his eyes and walking past her to put his bag next to Jemma's at the foot of the nearest bed. Jemma ground her teeth together. Tina teasing **her** was one thing, but teasing **Fitz** was just uncalled for.

"But you two don't need privacy, do you?" Tina asked in her sweetest voice.

"Not even a bit," Jemma said in a syrupy voice of her own. _Don't let her see you sweat._

"Perfect," Tina glinted.

"Excellent," Jemma flashed.

* * *

Fitz looked around the room and out through the windows in amazement. He'd always assumed those American movies with wild teenage parties were an exaggeration created by Hollywood and were in no way reflections of reality.

He'd been wrong.

The music was loud and the alcohol was flowing freely and people he'd never even realized **knew** each other were making out together on just about every flat surface available. A group had gone outside to start a bonfire, and he nervously kept an eye on it because drunks with fire were dangerous beings. Another group had said something about skinny dipping and run off for the lake, stripping off their clothes as they went. Everyone else was either dancing, singing, making out, or eating.

"Here you go," Fitz said, holding out a beer to Jemma. He took a sip of his own as he sat next to her on the floor out of the way of the craziness.

"Thanks," she smiled at him, and there was that nose crinkle again. _Get over it, already. It's not happening. You heard her before. We don't even need privacy a bit._

"Some party," he said, not really knowing what to say to her now that they weren't at school. Mostly they just talked about science with each other. That and their classmates and instructors and what it might be like to finally work for S.H.I.E.L.D. _Ask her about her hobbies or something. Movies, music, anything!!_

"Mmhmm." She pulled a sour face as she took a sip of beer but didn't say anything about it. He narrowed his eyes at her as she sat there nonchalantly nodding her head to the beat of whatever pop song was currently blasting around them.

"You don't like beer, do you?" _Idiot. Should have asked her what she wanted instead of just assuming._

"Not really, no," she admitted, wincing slightly.

"Let me-" He started to get up from his cross-legged seat beside her, but she placed her hand on his forearm and he immediately sat back down.

"It's alright, Fitz," she smiled, and this time it was her eyes that caught at him.

"But-"

"I don't want to be a bother."

"You're never a bother!" She hadn't taken her hand away yet, and he found himself hesitating to get up because it meant she wouldn't be touching him anymore. _Stop staring at it!_ He looked back up at her face and offered her a rakish grin. Or at least his best rendition of one. "What'll it be?" he asked in his best American accent.

Jemma's eyes widened, and he was somewhat gratified that he could surprise her like that. _And I thought her eyes were big before_. "How did you-?"

He shrugged, and he could feel the pink start to creep into his cheeks. "We've all got strange talents," he said. "That one's mine." _Not my strangest, but she doesn't need to know about pi to a thousand decimals thing._

She laughed and her whole face lit up and he thought for the millionth time that she had the best laugh he'd ever heard. "That's loads better than being able to describe the plot of every Doctor Who episode that's aired," she shook her head ruefully.

"You watch Doctor Who?" he asked, and now he was forgetting about getting her a drink and settling in a bit closer so they didn't have to shout so much.

"Do you as well?" she asked.

And then they were talking about their favourite shows and movies and books and hobbies, and it was just as easy as it was to talk science, and Fitz found himself liking her even more.

* * *

"I think I see why everyone calls him Drunk Bobby," Jemma said dryly as she looked down at the large form passed out on the second bed in their room.

"Bloody **huge** Bobby is more like it," Fitz grunted, trying to roll the large man off the mattress and completely failing to succeed in his endeavor.

Jemma was surprised by the appearance of muscles in Fitz's slender arms. _Because I didn't find him attractive enough already._ "Perhaps if we pull him off the end?" she suggested, grabbing one of his ankles in both of her hands.

"Right," Fitz panted, coming around to the end of the bed and grabbing the other one.

After several minutes of intense straining, the limbs were dropped in defeat.

"Cold water to the face?" Jemma asked, looking around for any other inspiration the room might offer and trying not to stare at the sweaty panting young man standing next to her. _He looks like he's just run a marathon. Or..._ She gulped and halted the thought just as it began. Thankfully her own overheated state could take credit for her blush.

Fitz shook his head in dismissal. "Then the bed'll be all wet, and I **still** won't be able to sleep in it." He charged over to the head of the bed and leaned over to yell directly in Bobby's sleeping ear, " **Get up ya fat drunk bastard!** "

"Fitz!" Jemma admonished him. _He's never sworn in front of me before. Does that mean he doesn't usually swear? Or that he just doesn't do it around me?_

His grumpy face collapsed into an embarrassed on and a hand came up and covered his mouth. "Sorry, Jemma," he apologized. "It just sorta... slipped out?"

 _He just doesn't do it around me_. For some reason, that made her unaccountably happy. It was probably just because he wasn't entirely sure whether she'd be comfortable with it, but the idea that he was doing it out of respect or approval made her insides warm. "No harm done," she smiled back at him. "But I think we're out of options with regards to our room crasher here."

* * *

Fitz **tried** to sleep on the floor, he really did. He'd been unable to wrestle either a pillow or blanket from under Drunk Bobby's heavy, snoring body, but he'd made a makeshift pillow out of his jeans and stolen an afghan off the back of one of the sofas in the living room.

Except, by the time he got back to the bedroom, Jemma was in the bed and patting the mattress beside her.

_Oh no. No no no. No way. No._

"Are you sure?" he asked, not so much hesitating as screwing up his courage.

"Of course," Jemma assured him, patting the mattress again. "It's not your fault we only have the one bed," she said reasonably. "And it's not fair for me to take the bed just because I'm a girl."

 _And what a girl!_ He cringed at his own internal monologue. God help him if he ever let something like that come out of his actual mouth. "Well, yeah," he nodded, head bobbing up and down so much he thought he must look like a chicken. "You **are**   a girl," he repeated dumbly. _Oh, well spotted. Yes. As if you didn't already know that perfectly bloody well. That's the whole problem!_

"And we're both human beings who deserve a good night's sleep on a bed, not on the floor," she said, her reasonable tone of voice starting to strain a bit at the edges. "Now are you going to get in, or am I going to get out?"

He'd seen her take a tshirt and sleep shorts out of her bag when he'd gone on his blanket hunt, and he didn't think he was quite ready to see that yet. _If her legs are half as gorgeous as the rest of her..._ "No!" he said quickly, holding out one hand in the international gesture for 'stop.'

And then he was in bed with her. Sharing a bed with Jemma. Jemma and Fitz in bed together. Sleeping together. With Jemma.

_There is no way in hell I'm falling asleep tonight, is there?_

* * *

 Jemma waited for as long as she could before she said anything. _If you don't say something soon, you're both going to end up sleeping on the floor!_

"Are you up?" she whispered to the prone form of Fitz lying next to her.

"What?" he asked, and he sounded a bit panicked. _He must be a light sleeper, and I've gone and startled him._

"I need..." she trailed off. _Just tell him! It's a natural human function and nothing to be embarrassed about._

"What?" he asked again, the panic in his voice rising instead of decreasing.

"Can I just...?" she was blushing bright red, but at least it was dark enough that he couldn't see that. _Maybe I don't have to actually say it?_ She reached one arm across him to the mattress on the other side of his head. "Excuse me," she said, awkwardly slinging a leg over him so that her foot was on the mattress and she was touching him as little as possible. _This is the worst plan ever, isn't it?_ _  
_

"Jemma!" Fitz whispered, sounding completely scandalized. "What are you **doing**?"

She shifted her weight from one side of her body to the other. "Just trying to get out of the bed," she said. _Don't ask me why. Don't ask me why. Don't-_

"Why?"

 _I should have let him sleep next to the wall like he wanted to. Then I wouldn't be having this conversation._ "I have to..." she hesitated again. Her preoccupation with what to say took her attention off her movements enough that the edge of the mattress gave out under her hand and she lost her balance.

Jemma shrieked and Fitz... man-shrieked? Really, his voice was almost as high-pitched as hers, but she didn't think he'd appreciate that observation. And anyway, she had bigger problems to deal with than deciding on the correct vocabulary word.

Fitz had caught her when she fell, and now his hands were on her bottom and her legs were splayed on either side of his hips and their chests were pressed together and her cheek was getting scratched by his stubble. _Oh god, why is that sexy?_

"Jemma?" Fitz whispered again, and this time his voice was a bit strangled.

"Sorry!" she apologized, catching the breath that had just been knocked out of her and carefully rising up again. She couldn't really see his expression in the darkness, and for that she was immensely relieved. It was probably as disgusted as it had been when he'd told Tina that they weren't dating two months ago. _What if he thinks I'm coming onto him? What if he thinks I tried to get him drunk?!_ She **had** brought him a second beer when she'd found a can of Coke for herself.

"It's... fine," he said, and he didn't sound fine. "Just... what are you doing?"

 _Better your pride than a criminal record._ "I have to go pee," she admitted, wishing the floor would open up and swallow her.

"Why didn't you just ask me to move?"

"I was trying not to bother you."

It started off slowly, a rumbling under the hand that she still had on his chest, and then it burbled out of him and he was laughing so hard she worried he'd have to go to the bathroom as well.

It was infectious, and she laughed with him despite herself.

"Good job on that," he choked out between peals of laughter a minute later.

"I thought so, too," she snorted back.

"Best go do that, though," he said, sniffling and trying to stay serious. "Don't want you to have an **accident**."

"I've had quite enough already, yes."

When she opened the door and the light from the hallway streamed in, she turned to look at him, lying there in bed and smiling at her, still trying to stop the last paroxysms of laughter. _Why does he have to be so perfect?_

* * *

Fitz insisted that Jemma take the outside of the bed when she returned from the bathroom, and he wedged himself between the corner and the wall.

She kissed his cheek before settling in next to him, and he was reminded of the last time she'd done it. Right after she'd made it clear she didn't want to date him. _That's probably her signal. Her 'you're like a brother to me' signal to let guys know she's not interested._

As signals went, it was a nice one. Made you feel like you could be friends with her, even if you couldn't...

 _Just forget it. Stop thinking about it and forget it._ But the problem was, no matter what he did, he couldn't stop thinking about the fact that he'd held her as she'd lain on top of him and it had felt really good.

Really, **really** good.

 _How am I supposed to get over her if things like that are going to happen?_ He'd been trying for almost two months already and hadn't managed it, and this was just going to make it that much more impossible. All he wanted was to have a friend he could talk science with, and now Doctor Who and X-Files and comic books and any number of other things they had in common. He didn't want to have to constantly be thinking about how pretty she was too.

_What do you do when you meet the perfect girl in the world for you and you know she'll never be yours?_

He stared up at the ceiling and tried to figure out how he'd managed to get himself into this mess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> god help me, I'm writing more of this. because I _need_ another multi-chapter WIP to feel guilty about. *facepalm*


	4. Chapter 4

Jemma stared at Fitz's wide eyes and petrified face and took stock of her own emotional state over the past hour. She had to admit, she'd been a bit all over the place. 

  * **excitement**
  * **pride**
  * **affection**
  * **annoyance**
  * **shock**
  * **anger**
  * **despair**
  * **amazement**
  * **hope**
  * **elation**



And now she'd come back around to, well  **trepidation** would be the nicest word for it but that didn't quite encompass the sheer amount of terror currently rushing its way through her bloodstream.

Things had been going so well.

* * *

Fitz grinned to himself as he deftly flipped and rotated the image in front of him. Holographic Engineering was fast becoming his favourite course at the Academy. It was so much better than all of that History of S.H.I.E.L.D. slogging he'd had to do in first term, and it was even more fun than the foundational courses in classified tech that he'd completed as prerequisites.

_Someday, I'm going to be **paid** to play with this stuff! _

He looked over to the holotable next to his and his grin widened as he watched Jemma's face light up. She seemed to have quite a knack with holographics. Not everyone did. He glanced around the rest of the classroom and took in the various scowls and frustrated gestures of classmates who had not yet figured out the trick to manipulating something that wasn't really there.

Jemma leaned over, watching as he turned his image this way and that, zooming in on an area and then changing the colour. Fitz felt his chest swell up with pride at the clear approval in her expression. _She thinks I'm properly smart._

"Third class, lucky," she smiled at him. _Stop looking at her mouth!_

"Better every time," he smiled back.

"Couldn't be much worse than when we first started," she laughed deprecatingly, turning back to her own image.

He remembered back to the week before. The term had just started, and he and Jemma had both been excited and perhaps a bit overconfident when they entered their new Holographic Engineering class. It had taken them 10 minutes just to figure out how to turn the tables on. _Not that I'll ever admit that to anyone, ever._

* * *

Jemma tried to focus on the image in front of her rather than the boy beside her. He'd already distracted her enough. _That's not fair, though. He isn't actually **doing** anything... not on purpose. _She bit her lip and rotated her image before zooming in on the required area to recolour it. It was her own fault she'd started paying more attention to his slender hands than she had to her assignment.

If she could just stop mooning over Fitz and concentrate on her work, she'd be able to finish all of the image manipulations in time to start work on her own project. _Focus, Jemma!_

Tuning out her surroundings, she let her excitement take over as she delved further into this new technology. If she could master holotech, she'd be able to do so much more with her research than she was currently capable of. She could actually pull molecules apart and put them back together, zoom in past microscopic levels, see the effects of a catalyst on an experiment not just in real time but in slow motion, played back over and over again from every conceivable angle.

She felt a thrill of happiness as she grew more comfortable and confident in her movements with the holotable over the course of the two hour lab. _Once you stop trying to grip things and concentrate on the gestures, it's all so much easier!_ She quickly completed the last few steps in the assignment and then reduced her image down to its regular size. She could feel the proud smile beaming from her face, and she tried her best to tone it down.

Looking around the room, it seemed that Fitz was the only other one who had finished their task. Everyone else was still in the early stages and not looking too happy about it, especially considering the class would be over in 20 minutes and only those who had succeeded in their set list of tasks would be able to move on to their independent work next time. Everyone else would need at least one more class of practice before being allowed to, and that would mean having less time using the holotables on their own terms.

Moving over to Fitz's table from hers, she congratulated him. "You've done well," she said, inspecting his completed assignment. "You have a real talent here, Fitz."

* * *

Fitz nodded as he looked at his work. "I think I really do," he agreed. Then he looked up at Jemma and blushed. "I mean-" _No one likes a braggart! Quick, downplay it!_ "I seem to have picked it up alright?"

Jemma laughed and touched his wrist, and he knew she could see right through him. It was almost like she knew what he was thinking.

_Oh god, I hope she doesn't know what I'm thinking!_

"Just accept the compliment, Fitz," she said, squeezing his wrist gently and then letting go. He looked down at where it had been and wondered how he could ask her to put it back. "You're good at this! You don't have to pretend you aren't."

He shook his head and scoffed. "If there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's that sometimes it's better to pretend you aren't as much of a genius as you actually are," he scuffed a toe against the base of the table. _People don't like people who know everything all the time_. "Socially, I mean," he shrugged.

Jemma sighed and nodded emphatically. "I've noticed that as well," she said, letting out a frustrated breath. "I just wish I didn't have to," she gave him a weak smile. "Socially, I mean."

Fitz watched as her fingers twisted together in front of her, and he recognized the signs. _She's just as lonesome as I am_. It was a surprising thing to think, really. She was so often surrounded by people, she laughed so freely and helped so often. _She's just as worried about being liked as anyone else._

Gulping down his nerves, Fitz reached out to take her hand in his. "You don't have to with me."

* * *

Jemma felt herself blush as Fitz held out his hand.  _This is exactly why I can't seem to get over this crush._ Taking it in her own, she shook it. "Deal," she agreed enthusiastically. "With each other, we'll be nothing but our most intelligent."

She was just noticing what might be a blush on Fitz's face when his expression changed from being adorably nervous to adorably suspicious. _Does he have any expression I **don't** think is adorable at this point?_

"What're you doing?" he asked someone behind her.

Jemma turned around to see Tina and Laurie fiddling with her holotable.  _What in the- Is she cheating?_ Her brows drew together and she opened her mouth to protest, but Tina interrupted her.

"We just want to see how you managed to invert the northeast quadrant like that," Tina shrugged, reversing her way through Jemma's work while Laurie took notes beside her.

"You could have **asked** ," Jemma huffed, crossing her arms. _Not that I'd be likely to tell you, you cow._

Tina raised a skeptical eyebrow in return. "You seemed a bit **busy** to me," she said. "You know, **not** flirting with Fitz."

"We were just talking!" Fitz protested, his voice cracking a bit on the last word. _Adorable._

"Whatever I was or wasn't doing with Fitz doesn't change the fact that you're trying to copy my work," Jemma said firmly, moving back to her own table. "And I'd appreciate it if you'd stop." Reaching out, she tried to remove Tina's hand from her controls.

Tina struggled against her grip and managed to shrug it off. "Just a **minute** , Jemma," she said impatiently. "We're almost done." She turned to her friend, checking where she was in her notes.

 _You're **completely** done._ "Get your hands off of my assignment" Jemma tried once more to pull Tina's hands away from the hologram.

And then everything happened at once. Fitz grabbed her hand, warning her not to touch it. Tina's hand flew out, scattering the hologram. Laurie ducked out of the way of the harmless shards that seemed to be flying towards her, hitting the table and turning it off.

Jemma froze. _That did **not** just happen._

* * *

Fitz looked from one shocked face to the next as all three women gaped at the blank table in front of them. _This is **so** not good._ He held his breath, waiting for one of them to react.

Tina gulped and looked at Jemma with a healthy dose of fear. "Did you, uh, did you save that?" she asked in a scared whisper.

Jemma looked so pale all of a sudden that Fitz wondered if she might faint. The small shake of her head and the sudden tears in her eyes made the answer abundantly clear. "Jemma?" he asked, reaching out a hesitant hand to her shoulder. _What do you do for someone who's about to faint? Boil water? Cold compress? Head between the knees?_

"How long until the lab is over?" Jemma asked, her voice quiet but remarkably steady. He was impressed. _If that had happened to me, I'd be screaming the roof down by now._

"Um, about fifteen minutes?" he answered after looking at the clock.

"Fifteen minutes," she repeated, and now she was looking more green than pale. _Maybe she won't faint. Maybe she'll puke._

"Jemma," Tina said at the same time Laurie said, "I'm so sorry!" Both seemed sincere in their apologetic tones.

He didn't get the full effect of the glare Jemma leveled at them, and for that he was very glad. _Note to self: do **not** mess with Jemma Simmons._ The two other women rapidly retreated to their own tables, immediately burying themselves in their assignments.

"Jemma?" he asked, not entirely sure she wouldn't turn her glare on him.

"Oh, Fitz," she said wetly, and then she was looking at him with tears about to spill out of her eyes and a sob in her voice and he wanted nothing more than to make it all better.

* * *

"I'll fix it," Fitz said, nodding confidently and moving over to power her table back on.

"How?" Jemma asked, completely defeated. _It took me nearly two hours to finish that assignment. There's no way I can complete it in 15 minutes, not even with Fitz's help. I'm going to be relegated to the remedial class! They'll flunk me out of the Academy! I'll never work for S.H.I.E.L.D. I'll..._

"Data recovery," Fitz said shortly, already sorting through a holographic database of files.

"How are you...?" Jemma watched him in amazement as he pulled up folder after folder of files and flipped through them rapidly. _We haven't learned this yet, have we?_ She stared, transfixed by the concentration on his face and the rapid movements of his hands in the hologram.

"File architecture is standardized for all S.H.I.E.L.D. locations," Fitz explained as he delved deeper. "As long as the deleted files aren't in a password-protected location, I should be able to get your assignment back for you." He paused just long enough to give her a wide grin and then plunged back in.

"I might not fail," Jemma whispered to herself. She could feel her hope growing with each flick of Fitz's wrist and twist of his fingers. _I'll have something to turn in at the end of the lab. I won't have to go to Professor Khongmalai with nothing to show for a two hour lab._

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Fitz said back. And this time when she looked at his face, he wasn't adorable. That determined expression was definitely sexy.

* * *

Fitz tried not to look at Jemma while he searched for her file. Those tears in her eyes had been a punch to the gut. _I never want to see her cry again, if I can help it_.

But then he'd told her he could get her work back, and the way she'd looked at him... _If I can do this, I'll be her hero._ He didn't really have any other choice, then, did he?

Blocking out everything except the hologram in front of him, he tried to remember everything he could about S.H.I.E.L.D. naming and archiving conventions. He went to all of the obvious places first: deleted files, file history, etc. None of them contained her assignment.

_Think, Fitz! If you were designing this system, where would **you** put it?_

And there it was: a file limbo. A holding cell of sorts for work that had been interrupted. He knew there **had** to be some sort of protocol in place to protect against power outages and the like, he just had to find it. With a satisfied smile and relief in his heart, he pulled up Jemma's completed work and turned to her with a flourish.

"I believe this is yours?" he said, loving the way her face was lit up. _She's so pretty when she's happy. Even prettier than usual._

"Oh my god, Fitz!" she beamed, bouncing on her toes. "That was so amazing, I could kiss you!"

He felt the smile freeze on his face and the relief in his heart turned to nerves.

* * *

Jemma swallowed hard as she took in the sudden fear on Fitz's face. He'd been so happy and proud a moment before, and then she'd said the stupidest thing. _Idiot! Don't **say** that to him! _ This is what happened when she let her emotions take over.

They stared at each other, neither one of them saying anything, and Jemma wished that life had a rewind button so that she could reverse the moment and do it over again. Then Fitz raised a hand to the back of his neck and looked awkwardly down at his shoes, and she wished instead that she were anywhere but right here.

"What are you waiting for?" Tina asked, her voice harsh and loud in the uncomfortable silence between them.

"What?" Jemma asked, tearing her eyes from Fitz to look at her classmate. _Not now, Tina. Please, not now._

"You can't just offer a guy a kiss and then leave him hanging like that," Tina said, pushing her towards Fitz.

Jemma stumbled slightly and stopped short right in front of him. They were only half a step apart now, and she didn't think she'd ever stood this close to him before. _It's even worse than sharing a bed because at least then there wasn't any mention of kissing._ "But-"

Fitz looked up again, and she caught her breath at the look in his eyes. _So blue._ He was looking at her like he might actually want to kiss her, but the rest of his face seemed panicked and unsure. "It's okay, Jemma," he said. It almost sounded like he was nervous. "You don't have to," he shrugged. "I mean, I know you didn't mean-"

She swallowed hard again, feeling her own nerves overwhelm her with fear and trepidation. Could she really...? _Now or never, Simmons. You won't get a chance like this again._

Leaning forward and standing on her toes, she kept her eyes open and fixed on his. _Do I really want my first kiss with him to be in front of Tina? And the entire Holographic Engineering class?_ That thought was enough to move her over an inch, and she kissed just the corner of his mouth as she pressed her lips to his cheek.

* * *

Fitz held his breath as Jemma moved closer towards him. _She's actually going to do it! She's going to kiss me!_ He threw out a quick prayer of thanks for his knack with computers and then closed his eyes to better concentrate on his lips.

When her breath grazed his face, he shivered with anticipation, and when her lips pressed warmly against his cheek instead of his mouth he tried not to feel too disappointed. _Still a better kiss than I ever thought I'd get from her._

"Thank you," she whispered, still so close to him that he could feel her words as well as hear them.

"Don't mention it," he said after clearing his throat. He opened his eyes again and looked at her, and it almost seemed like she wanted to kiss him again. _And now I'm imagining things. Great._

Tina let out a frustrated sigh behind them. "Seriously you two?"

"What?" they asked, simultaneously.

But Tina just threw up her hands and walked away.

"Wanna grab dinner?" Fitz asked, looking at the clock. Their lab would be done in five more minutes, and his stomach definitely understood what time it was.

"Just let me save first," Jemma smiled back at him. "I'm never not saving something again."

* * *

Jemma saved her file to the local holotable, her professor's marking folder, her own personal networked folder, and a USB. _I'm never ever going to go through that again._

Once she'd finished, she turned to Fitz and watched him shut down his holotable and gather up his bag. Another emotion brought itself to the forefront, but she pushed it back down.

 


	5. Chapter 5

_This is ridiculous._ "I can't do it," Fitz shook his head in defeat. "It's bloody impossible!"

"It's not **impossible** ," Tina insisted, smiling encouragingly.

Fitz leveled her with a flat glare. "You're gay," he informed her. _And last I knew, I wasn't a woman and you weren't a man._

"You don't say," she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "Point being?"

"Point **being** ," Fitz crossed his own arms and squared off in front of her. "No matter **what** I do, **you** ," he jabbed a finger at her, "Won't be seduced _._ " _Not that I even want to seduce you, anyway, except I want to pass this bloody ridiculous elective class without it ruining my entire S.H.I.E.L.D. career._

"No shit, Sherlock," she agreed. "But no one in this class is **actually** seducing anyone. Look around," she gestured widely to encompass the various matchups around the room. "We're just trying to make it **look** like we're seducing and being seduced." Striking a regal pose, she copped a posh accent and intoned, " **Acting**."

"Right, well," Fitz cast about in frustration. "Acting or no, I'm a complete mess at it." _How am I supposed to act like I'm seducing when I've never seduced anyone in my life?_ Times like these he hated the fact that everyone in the ruddy Academy was years older than he was and exponentially more experienced in certain realms.

Well, almost everyone. He glanced over to where Simmons was fluttering her lashes at some hulking great brute.

Tina sized him up and then nodded to herself. "Alright, Fitz, I'm going to do you a favour."

Fitz raised an eyebrow at that. _Like what? Telling the class I've got epically bad halitosis and kissing me will make you vomit everywhere?_

Tina waited for a further response, but when none came she shrugged and pushed on anyway. "I'm going to tell you how to seduce a woman."

Fitz scoffed and rolled his eyes. _Riiiight. Pull the other one._

Tina raised a brow of her own. "How many women have **you** had sex with, and how many have **I**?" she asked rhetorically.

Fitz paused mid-huff and reassessed. _Zero versus... Hmm. Haunani, Sylvia, HyeGyeong, Ashley. And those are just the ones I know about._ "... I'm listening," he granted gracelessly.

"If you want to seduce a woman," Tina explained patiently in her most didactic tone. "You need to seduce her **mind** , not her body."

Fitz frowned. _What the hell is she talking about?_ "What the hell are you talking about?"

Tina slapped her face with her palm, dragging her hand down over her mouth and then covering it to keep from saying something she shouldn't. "I'm trying to **help** here, Fitz. If you'd be patient for **five minutes**."

"Maybe if you said something worth listening to," he grumbled, scuffing one shoe on the floor. _Or if you made any ruddy sense at all._

Dropping down onto the two seater couch at their station, Tina reached up and pulled him down to sit next to her. Fitz collapsed onto the cushion like a sack of potatoes and looked just as cheerful. Tina rolled her eyes and positioned them so that they were both angled slightly  towards each other with their knees touching.

"Alright, so," she began. "Start off by talking to her and finding out more about her interests and values."

"This is seduction?" Fitz asked skeptically. _Sounds like normal conversation to me._

"It's the first part, yes," Tina nodded, trying to be patient with him. "The important part here is listening to what she's saying."

Fitz looked at her like she was a complete imbecile. _Is another important part remembering to breathe? Or allowing gravity to keep me from floating off of the settee?_ "As opposed to **what**?" he asked, irritation clear in his voice.

"As opposed to waiting for your turn to talk."

Fitz blinked. Then he blinked again. Then his eyes squeezed half closed and his tongue poked out of his mouth a bit. This was a new idea for him, and it was sort of blowing his mind. _Liste_ _n to what she's saying instead of waiting for my turn to talk. Crap. Do I do that?_

"Am I making sense **now**?" Tina asked a bit smugly.

"Keep talking," Fitz said, maintaining a poker face.

"Listen to her and ask follow up questions. Get to know the reasons behind her answers. Share stories of your own that resonate with those reasons, and then ask another question about her."

Fitz nodded slowly, frowning in concentration. _Kind of like when I talk to Jemma._ "Okay, makes sense."

"You can give her compliments if you want, but only if they're sincere. And not just on her hair or her eyes, either."

 _How about on her pipetting?_ Fitz chuckled, remember how Jemma had been so pleased when he'd told her she had good technique.

"Or boobs," Tina said firmly, frowning at his chuckle.

"That's not what-!" Fitz protested, looking both scandalized and insulted.

" **Anyway** ," Tina continued. "After the two of you have established a bit of a rapport, the most important part of the seduction, the part that lets her know you're not just interested in her as a friend..." she trailed off and smiled mischievously.

Fitz glanced quickly over to where Simmons was awkwardly cupping the face of her partner and doing something strange with her eyebrows that made her look like she had a facial twitch. _Adorable_. "Yeah?" he prompted, dragging his eyes back to his own partner.

"The look," Tina said succinctly.

"The look?" Fitz asked, totally confused. _How'm I supposed to learn how to look at someone?_

"The look."

"Yeah, I'm gonna need more than just-"

"Look at her like she's the most amazing thing you've ever seen in your life," Tina explained.

"But what if she's not," Fitz frowned. _Seems a bit douchey to make a girl think you think she's amazing when you really just think she's a good source for intelligence gathering._

"That's the whole ' **acting** ' thing we were talking about earlier. Remember?" Tina sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "So think of that amazing thing and how wonderful and beautiful and fascinating it is, and then look at her with that expression on your face, and she'll know."

"Know?"

"That you want more than friendship."

Fitz glanced at Jemma again briefly. Her partner was gripping her hand lightly and kissing her knuckles. _Poncy arse._ "But if I'm seducing her, I won't want **anything** except intel," Fitz said.

"Well, sure," Tina admitted. "If you only use this technique on the job."

 _Why would I use it off the...?_ "Oh." His eyes flicked over to Jemma again briefly. She was laughing like she'd heard the funniest thing she'd ever heard in her life.

He cleared his throat and looked down at his hands, his fingers all tangled up in his lap. "And what, um," he cleared his throat again before looking up and squinting at Tina. "What do I do after the, y'know, the **look**?" He put finger quotes around it and copped a silly face, trying to distract from his reason for asking the question.

"Well," Tina shrugged, carefully looking at her nails instead of at his face. "If she gives you the look back, then you kiss her."

"I-!" Fitz blushed right to the roots of his hair and looked anywhere but at Simmons. _I can't just... Not without asking if I could... What if she doesn't **want** me_ to...?

"If she gives you the look, the you're-so-amazing-and-I-can't-believe-how-lucky-I-am-right-now look, then you can feel pretty confident that your kiss is going to be welcome," Tina grinned. "But if you want to ask permission first, that's always an adorable move."

"Adorabe?" _Like I'm some sort of baby?_

"Less **sexy** and more... I don't know, **shy**?" Tina shrugged. "And some women like that!" she reassured him. "But I don't know how well that would work on an international super spy."

 _Romanoff would probably laugh in your face if you asked if you could kiss her. Of course, she'd probably kill you if you kissed her and she didn't want you to._ "Yeah, I think I'll stick with scientists, thanks," Fitz shook his head self-deprecatingly. "Leave the international super spies to the Ops team."

Tina shrugged again and stood up. It was almost time to change partners again back to same sex couples. "As you like," she said carelessly. "Leaves more of the sexy spies for me," she winked.

Fitz shook his head and laughed, then winked back. Tina might be obnoxious and overbearing, but he had to admit it. That was pretty good advice.


	6. Chapter 6

Jemma sat quietly on the sofa in the library meeting room she'd booked and waited for her study group to arrive. She was holding her text book in her lap, but she wasn't actually reading it. Every time she tried to concentrate on the words, her mind would wander to the conversation she'd accidentally overheard in the locker room, her eyes would unfocus, and she'd have to start at the beginning of the paragraph again. 

 _Don't be stupid._ She scolded herself.  _It's a free country, and if she wants to ask him on a date she has every right to._ She worried her bottom lip and felt her brows draw together in a frown.  _And besides, her asking him out doesn't mean he'll say yes._ She blinked rapidly a few times and forced herself to breathe deeply. _And if he says yes, well then, I hope they're happy together._ Her lip wobbled a bit at the thought, but she jutted out her chin and forced it into stillness. _I hope they get married and have a bunch of screaming little babies and live happily ever-bloody-after_. She closed her text book with a loud snap and shoved it into her bag. No one else was there yet, so no one would know if she left now and sent her apologies. She could just...

"Hey," Fitz panted as he burst through the door. "Sorry! Got caught up talking with  Goodapati in the lab. I'm not late am I?"  _Shit. She looks right pissed._

His face was a bit flushed from his sprint across campus and his chest was rising and falling rapidly with each breath. His hair was sticking up slightly from where he'd run a hand through its sweaty masses, and his eyes were bright blue beacons staring at her from across the room. 

 _That's just not fair!_ "Oh?" Jemma said coldly, dropped her bag back onto the sofa. "Goodapati?" she asked, her voice dripping with disbelief. "Not Gomez?"  _That cradle-robbing hussy!_ _  
_

"Gomez?" Fitz asked, completely confused.  _She's not even an engineer. Why would she be in our lab with us?_

"Yes," Jemma continued, arms crossed over her chest and tone cool enough to keep milk fresh. "She was looking for you earlier."  _Rather desperately. The woman has no self-respect._

"Huh," Fitz shrugged, tossing his bag on the floor next to the sofa and dropping down into the cushions. _What in the world for? The only class we have together is that stupid Spy Skills elective, and it's not like I'd be any good to study with for **that**. _ "That's weird." He bent over and rooted around until he'd found his text book, then turned to talk to Simmons, but she was still standing. "Are we not studying today?" he asked. _Shite. I **was**_ _late_.

Jemma ground her teeth for a second or two as she squinted at him.  _He doesn't seem particularly interested in why she was looking for him. Maybe he's not interested in **her**_ _either_? "I was just going to," she pointed back over her shoulder towards the door, but Fitz's face fell slightly before she could finish her sentence. 

"Right," he nodded. "Of course," he bent over again and opened his bag to replace his text.  _I really need to get myself a bloody watch one of these days. Now I've pissed her off and she hates me._ "Sorry 'bout being late," he apologized with a tight grin. "I know how that irks you."  _It's day one of last term all over again. Except worse because now I know how amazing she is._

Jemma gulped as she took in his disappointed smile and sad eyes.  _He looks as if I've just kicked his puppy. It's not **his** fault bloody Gomez wants to bloody date him. Well, it  **is**. But only because he's fantastic. _ "... Get a coffee," she finished awkwardly. "Did you want one?"  _Please don't leave?_

And then his face transformed from moping to hoping, and she couldn't help but smile. 

"Are you sure?" Fitz asked.  _Stupid! Don't question it!_

"Two cream, three sugar right?" Jemma asked, moving towards the door. She held her breath, waiting for him to finish packing up. 

"Yeah," Fitz confirmed, a bit surprised. He could feel a lopsided smile threatening to take over his whole face.  _She knows how I take my coffee. That's a good sign, right?_ He stared at her where she was hesitating at the door, hand poised to open it but looking unsure.  _Now's your chance!_ "But let me get it," he offered. "For keeping you waiting."  _Smooth._ _  
_

Jemma blushed, feeling incredibly guilty.  _God, I was so horrid to him when he came in, and he didn't even do anything!_ "You weren't late, Fitz," she reassured him with another small smile. _But it's really cute how worried you were that you might be._ "I was just in a mood is all," she waved it off. "You can get the next one." 

Fitz watched as she opened the door and started to step through.  _JUST DO IT, YOU COWARD!_ "How about," he cleared his suddenly dry throat and tried his best to sound casual. "How about I buy you dinner instead?"  _Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit._ He held his breath as he waited for her answer.

Jemma stopped cold mid-stride and blinked as she processed his question.  _Did he just-?? He just-!! Ohmygodhejustaskedmetodinner!_ She had to remind herself to breathe and then remind herself that he was waiting for an answer. 

Fitz stared at her still form and panicked.  _Ohgod. Now you've done it. You've freaked her out completely and she's trying to think of a nice way to let you down. She's going to be nice about it, but she'll request a new lab partner and-_

"I'd like that," Jemma answered, not turning around.   _Ohgod. Ohgod. Ohgod._

"Great," Fitz croaked.  _Ohgod. Ohgod._

There was a moment of awkward silence, and then Jemma unfroze.  _Coffee. Get the coffee._ "I'll be right back."

"I'll be right here."

_Ohgod._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note that Jemma is very young in this fic and doesn't realize how unfair she's being to Gomez. I do not condone or endorse girl-on-girl hate or slut-shaming, but I _do_ remember being 17 and liking a boy who liked another girl. Sometimes we have thoughts because feels that we would not have without the feels.


	7. Chapter 7

Jemma stood in the changing room, a mass of indecision. She chewed her bottom lip and stared at herself in the mirror and frowned until a crease appeared between her eyebrows.

She was wearing a dress. Quite a nice dress, in fact. It was a gorgeous shade that brought out the pink of her cheeks and made her eyes look somehow golden, and it was fitted in all of the right places, and as soon as she put it on she felt beautiful.

She tangled her fingers together and chewed her lip some more and sighed. _There's no way I can wear this_. _If I wear this, Fitz will think I think our dinner tonight is a date_. _This dress has 'date' written all over it. In eleven-foot-high letters. Done in neon lights. And flashing_.

She turned to look at the back again. She wasn't sure what tailoring magic might have been involved, but whatever it was, it made her ass look bloody fantastic. She blushed at the thought of Fitz coming to that same conclusion. The blush deepened when she faced forward again and saw the delicate swell of her breasts just barely peeking out above the neckline. It was hardly anything scandalous, unless you had particularly Victorian sensibilities, but considering her tendency toward high necked sweaters and buttoned up blouses, it would certainly be more of an eyeful than she generally presented.

Suddenly, she found herself wondering if Fitz was a 'bum man' or a 'breast man.'

Looking down at the hem  where it fell just above her knee, she had to admit the possibility that he was more of a one for legs.

_Do I have time to buy some heels, as well?_

She shook her head abruptly and blew out a quick breath.

_Pull yourself together, Jemma. You've had dinner together practically every night since you met. This isn't any different._

She was struggling to unzip it in the back when she heard familiar voices in the change rooms across from her.

"Why do you care so much, anyway?" asked a voice that Jemma usually associated with chem lab.

"Because they're idiots!" came the frustrated reply.

 _Josie? And Tina?_ Jemma frowned. Could she never escape that woman? With a shrug, she reached behind once more, pulling the dress up a bit to better reach the zip.

"They're the smartest kids in the Academy," Josie retorted. "If they're idiots, what does that make the rest of us?"

Jemma froze, half-hunched over and arms awkwardly bent behind her. _Smartest kids at the Academy? Why are they talking about me and Fitz? And what does she mean,_ ** _idiots_** _?_ Jemma straightened up, a haughty look on her face, and put her hand on the door knob to exit her room and give them a piece of her mind.

"Hah!" Tina barked out a laugh. "Smart at books and labs and things like that, sure. But idiots when it comes to each other."

That stopped Jemma in her tracks. She took her hand off the knob and blinked, not at all sure where this was going.

"So what?" Josie asked, clearly sick of the topic of conversation. "Why do you care so much about them getting together?"

_She **what**?_

"I just-" Tina sighed helplessly. "They're so **perfect** for each other, and they can't even see it, and I just want to smoosh their faces together until they kiss."

Jemma sat down on the small bench in the change room and concentrated on breathing. _Kiss Fitz? I can't just..._

Josie laughed. "Didn't you pretty much do that once already?"

 _Alright, maybe I **can** just, but that wasn't a **real**_ kiss.

"Yeah," Tina laughed back. "And you know how well **that** turned out." She sighed again. "It's just so hard, is all."

Jemma frowned. This was making no sense whatsoever.

"You're obsessed," Josie scoffed. "And it's sad and strange and probably unhealthy."

"They're **soulmates**!" Tina protested.

 _Soulmates?_ Jemma swallowed hard and shook her head. _Partners, of course. Friends, for sure. But soulmates?_

Josie snorted, but Tina cut her off.

"Have you ever seen two people more in sync than those two?"

"Well-"

_Having similar opinions is hardly a basis for-_

"Or anyone become faster friends than they did?"

"I mean-"

_We have a common background that's rather rare and-_

"And what about how they look at each other!"

"Well, yeah, but-"

_How do we look at each-?_

"If they were any more in love with each other, there'd be little cartoon hearts circling their heads!" Tina practically shouted.

_In love with-!_

Josie laughed. " **Alright** already!" she called back. "FitzSimmons are **madly in love** with each other! I give up!"

Jemma was feeling a bit dizzy and decided to put her head between her knees. She was careful not to block her hearing, however.

" **Thank** you," Tina laughed back. "It's just so frustrating to watch, though!"

Jemma was taking slow and steady breaths, trying not to hyperventilate. _Am **I** in love with **Fitz**?_

"So why watch?"

" **I can't not!** "

_Is **Fitz** in love with **me**?_

"But it drives you crazy! Which drives **me** crazy because you won't shut up about it."

"I just want them to realize how into each other they are!"

_No. There's no way._

"Why do you think they haven't?"

"Honestly? I have no idea. Willful disbelief is the only option that makes sense."

_She's just seeing things. Making things up._

"I mean, she **kissed** him, and he just thought it was a brotherly thing? Or something? How does that make sense?"

_It was a perfectly reasonable thank you kiss._

"Even **I** have to admit, that was **not** the kind of kiss I'd give my brother. Not by a long shot."

_And maybe I enjoyed it, a little bit. But hardly **that** much!_

"Right?" Tina sighed again. "I mean, he could straight up ask her out and she'd talk herself into thinking it was a 'just friends' thing."

Jemma lifted her head up and stared at herself in the mirror. She bit her lip and frowned and looked down at the dress she was still wearing but had decided not to buy.

Josie laughed. "I'll bet she could go on the date wearing some hot ass dress and he'd think she was going out with someone else afterward or something."

"Exactly!" Tina growled. "Those two! I swear!"

Jemma listened as the change room doors squeaked.

"No luck," Josie said. "You?"

"Just the one top," Tina said. "But I think I want to go take another look at that leather jacket."

Their voices faded as they left the changing area and Jemma sat staring at herself and coming to a decision.

* * *

"Any luck, honey?" asked the rather bored looking clerk who was hanging up a massive pile of clothes that had been left on the counter in front of her.

"Yes," Jemma said with a determined look on her face. "I've found the loveliest dress."


	8. Chapter 8

Fitz pulled up on his jacket zipper one more time to make sure it was as far up his neck as it would go. Then he shuffled nervously from one foot to the other, glancing down at his new digital watch before looking at the door in front of him and then looking at his watch one more time.

Sometime between asking Simmons out for dinner on Monday and this Saturday evening, he'd realized that he hadn't actually stipulated that this was a **date.** The assumption could be made that since he had asked her for dinner, and since they'd established Saturday night as the evening when that dinner would occur, that **of course** she would realize it was a date.

 _But then, we all know what they say about assumptions._ Fitz chewed the inside of his cheek and checked his watch again. _Still twenty minutes early. Bloody hell._ He'd been bound and determined not to be late tonight of all nights and as a result had already been loitering in her hallway for ten minutes. He was starting to draw a bit of a crowd. _Buncha looky loos_.  _Need to get lives of their own._

By the fourth muttered "FitzSimmons," he decided that being obnoxiously early would be better than staying outside of her door for a moment longer. With another deep breath and a final tug on his jacket zipper, he stepped forward purposefully and knocked on her door.

* * *

Jemma looked up, startled, from her bent over position doing up the zip of her dress. _Ohgod. What time is it?_ She looked over at her clock and saw that it wasn't even 6:15 yet. Fitz wasn't due to pick her up til 6:30. _He chooses **now** to start being early? _She'd known him almost six months now, and he was always running late. She'd kind of been counting on that. She hadn't even started on her hair or makeup yet!

Hurrying over to the door, she paused before opening it to catch her breath and paste a bright smile on her face. _I really hope I'm not wrong about this being a date. Ohgod._ Steeling herself for embarrassment, she pulled the door open.

"Fitz!" she greeted him enthusiastically. _Calm down! You sound like you haven't seen him in weeks instead of since this afternoon._

Jemma waited for a moment for Fitz to enter her room, but he was stood just outside her door seemingly frozen. "Fitz?" she asked, her forehead crinkling in concern. "Are you alright?" _Maybe he's ill and he stopped by on his way to Medical to explain why he has to stand me up._

He blinked once, twice, and then nodded quickly. "Sorry," he apologized, looking suddenly bashful. "Can I-?" he gestured toward the interior of her dorm room. "I mean, I know I'm early..."

"Of course," Jemma reassured him, opening the door wider and stepping behind it to give him plenty of room to enter. She closed it behind him and stood with her back against it feeling suddenly awkward.

 _Fitz is inside my room. And we're not studying, and I'm wearing this dress, and I want this to be a date and_ -

"You look-" Fitz started, turning around to look at her again. He stopped short before finishing the sentence, though, and stared at her a bit helplessly.

* * *

_Beautiful! Gorgeous! Stunning! Amazing! **Say something you complete bloody nincompoop!**_

"Is that a new dress?" he asked weakly. _Idiot._ She'd been looking quite happy for a moment there and then he'd finished his sentence and her whole face sort of... fell.

Jemma looked down and brought both hands up to curl her hair behind her ears. "I wasn't..." she started quietly, pushing herself off from the door. "Is it alright?" she asked looking back up at him and making his breath catch in his throat.

 _She looks worried. Why does **she** look worried? I'm the one who has to tell her I meant to ask her on a date. She just has to call it all off._ "I mean..." he cleared his throat and tried not to stare. Then he nodded, a bobbing chicken sort of nod. "Mmhmm," he managed to squeak out. His eyes were so wide he was worried they might fall out.

"I can change...?" she offered, shrugging and gesturing toward her closet and looking rather let down.

 _Shit! What did I say? **Why won't my bloody stupid brain work properly?!**_ "No!" he said quickly and with rather more force than he usually used in conversation with her.

Jemma blinked and looked rather taken aback. "Are you sure?" she asked. It almost looked like the beginnings of a smile at the corner of her mouth. Almost.

Fitz impersonated barnyard fowl again in his rush to confirm his sincerity. "Definitely," he said with conviction. There was no way he wanted her to take off that dress.

_Well..._

He cleared his throat and tried to stop his mind from wandering in **that** particular direction. But now she was smiling for real and his whole chest felt too small to hold his insides in and he didn't know what to do with his hands so he put them in his jacket pockets.

"I'm going to need another ten minutes or so," Jemma said apologetically, moving toward her bathroom. "Why don't you take your jacket off while you wait?"

Fitz reached automatically for his zipper before freezing with the tab gripped between his thumb and forefinger. _I take this off, she's going to see my tie. She sees the tie and she knows it's a date._ He'd been planning to see the lay of the land and subtly remove his tie if it looked like they were just going to be two friends having a bite together.

* * *

"Fitz?" Jemma prompted. _What is wrong with him tonight?_ She watched in fascination as first his ears and then his cheeks and then his whole face turned red.

"I-" he began, hand still on his zipper at his throat.

Jemma tilted her head and waited for him to continue. When nothing seemed to be forthcoming, she prompted him again. "You...?"

He swallowed hard and then pushed both his hands back into his jacket pockets. "What're you doing after?" he asked in a casual tone. The way he looked away from her but then peeked at her from the corner of his eye was intimately familiar to Jemma.

 _Was Josie actually_ **_right?_**

"After...?" she asked with a leading tone, watching his face carefully. Unfortunately, he noticed and turned to fiddle with the papers on her desk.

His shoulders rose and fell in a quick shrug and then he said quickly. "After dinner."

_Oh my bloody Lord in Heaven, Josie **was** right. Bless. _

Jemma pressed her lips together to hold back the laughter that wanted to bubble up out of her chest as the relief washed through her. _It **is** a date. He __wouldn't be this ridiculous if it weren't_.

The butterflies in her stomach that had been shut down when she thought he didn't like her dress suddenly took wing all at once. "I don't know," she said, trying to sound as casual as Fitz did. "What did you have in mind?"

* * *

Fitz whipped around and stared at her where she was outlined in the glow of the bathroom light. It took him a moment for him to fully process the implications of that simple question, but when he did...

_Holy shit. That dress is for **me**._

Reaching up to his zipper one more time, he pulled it all the way down in one swift movement and shrugged his jacket off. _In for a penny..._

"I was thinking maybe this could be, y'know," he hesitated for a second but then grit his teeth together and looked at her with a face full of determination. "A **date**."

"Good," Jemma said and that bright smile she'd opened the door with made a reappearance. "Me too."


	9. Chapter 9

_This is a date. That means I can hold his hand, and he won't mind. But what if he does mind? And how do I do it? We're walking. Do I just swing my hand over and grab his? What if I miss? What if I miss, and I accidentally smack his bum? Oh god, now I'm thinking about his bum and-_

"Sorry," Fitz apologized, smiling self-consciously.

 _What? I missed something._ "What for?" Jemma asked, slightly panic-stricken. She'd been concentrating so hard on trying to figure out how to take Fitz's hand in hers that she realized she hadn't been listening to him for she didn't know how long.

Fitz shrugged with a little resigned sigh. "Being boring," he explained, tilting his head and offering her a shy smile. "Rambling."

Jemma's eyes widened and her face dropped. _No no no! I'm ruining it all already and we aren't even at the restaurant yet!_ "No!" she said, turning to him quickly and clutching at his forearm with both hands. "It's my fault," she said. "I was-" she blushed and pressed her lips together. _It's only fair I tell him since I made him feel so badly._ "I wasn't paying attention because-" she looked away and swallowed hard.

"Because?" Fitz asked, his brows drawn together in confusion. He'd looked a bit sick when she'd said she wasn't paying attention, and she needed to make it clear **why**.

Jemma took in a shaky breath and smiled a bit awkwardly. "I was..." she paused, looking for the right word. _Oh bollocks._ "I was obsessing over how to hold your hand," she said in one rapid breath. Once finished, she held her breath and watched his face carefully for his reaction.

* * *

Fitz felt his ears go pink at the same time that his mouth broadened out in a smile. _Obsessing over how to hold my hand?_ Once more, his chest felt too tight to contain all of his feelings, and he wondered if his feet might float up from the ground.

He cleared his throat and looked down at where she was still clutching at his arm. "You missed," he observed, his tone gently teasing. _Jemma Simmons wants to hold my hand. It'd be ungentlemanly of me not to let her._ Reaching out with his other hand, he gently pried both of hers from him before cradling one in his palm. Looking up, he met her eyes and she was blushing too and it was adorable.

"Much better," she smiled. Then she leaned forward quickly and gave him a peck on the cheek.

"What was that for?" he asked, not minding at all.

"The same thing it's always for," Jemma said, facing forward and starting to walk again as her blush deepened. "Being wonderful."

Fitz stared at her in wonder as she guided them along the sidewalk. _She thinks I'm wonderful. She's kissing me because I'm **wonderful.**_ He suddenly felt like an idiot for assuming those kisses were sisterly.

* * *

Jemma couldn't keep the smile off her face as she sat opposite Fitz. _He looks so handsome._

"...so really, when it comes down to... What?" Fitz asked, interrupting himself. He reached up to wipe his mouth. "I have something on my face?"

 _So adorably cute._ "Just your face," Jemma teased.

"Oh, ha ha," Fitz rolled his eyes, smiling back. "Not fair, teasing a bloke for something he can't change."

"I don't want you to change it," Jemma said, resting her elbow on the tablecloth and supporting her chin on her hand. "I like it just the way it is."

_I don't think I'll ever get tired of watching him turn pink._

"Well..." Fitz stopped short and blinked at her. "I mean..." he cleared his throat and looked down at his plate. "I- I like your face too," he stuttered out and then looked up to see how his compliment was received.

Jemma felt her heart swell up in her chest and the butterflies in her stomach swoop around and around. _We should definitely put our faces together._

* * *

Fitz assisted Jemma with her coat, taking a subtle sniff of her shampoo as he helped her shrug it over her shoulders. _[Raspberries](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4129774). Of course. _ He smiled at how appropriate it was.

"You know," he said as he slipped his hand in hers and pushed the restaurant door open into the night. "They say space tastes like raspberries."

Jemma smiled at him and squeezed his hand. "That's my favourite scientific fact, actually." She shivered slightly and blew out a breath of surprise.

"Cold?" Fitz asked. His stomach tensed up with the thought. _I could offer her my jacket. Or put my arm around her. She wanted to hold my hand, maybe she wants me to put my arm around her?_

"A bit," she smiled shyly. She pushed her hair behind her ear with her free hand and looked at him hopefully.

Fitz swallowed hard. _Nothing ventured..._ "I could..." he released her hand and held his arm out, not daring to breathe. 

"That'd be lovely," Jemma blushed. And then she was pressed against his side and her arms were around his waist and her head was resting on his shoulder and he never wanted to go inside again. 

"Fancy a walk along the river?" he asked.  _Stupid voice bloody cracking like I'm some sort of 12 year old or some shit._

* * *

Jemma squeezed closer to Fitz at their table at the crowded cafe. _Definitely feeling much warmer now._

"I've never been here when it's this crowded before," she apologized. It had been her suggestion to warm up with some hot chocolate after their walk in the cool night air.

"No worries," Fitz reassured her, taking an enthusiastic first sip of his cocoa. "Mmm, definitely worth the wait." His eyes crossed slightly to look at the large dollop of whipped cream that had ended up on his nose.

Jemma laughed and couldn't help but think of any number of romantic movies she'd seen. _If it works for them..._ Reaching out, she swiped some onto her finger and then licked it clean. "Nummy," she grinned.

"Hey," Fitz protested with a smile. "That was **my** whipped cream! You thief!"

"You can have some of mine, then," she offered. Eyes sparkling, she took a sip of her own hot chocolate, purposefully trying to get some on her nose. Either a smaller nose or less whipped cream meant that she got a moustache of it above her upper lip instead.

Her laughter faded as she watched Fitz stare at her lips. _He's going to kiss me. Fitz is going to kiss me. I'm going to kiss Fitz. We're going to kiss._

Instead he blinked and looked up into her eyes. "Rain cheque?" he asked quietly. Then he looked around at the roomful of people.

Jemma's breath was coming fast as her heart beat almost hard enough to leave her chest. _Why on **earth** did I suggest this stupid cafe full of stupid p_ _eople?_

She stood up abruptly and smiled jerkily. "One moment," she said, holding out a hand for him to stay where he was. "I'm just going to ask for some to go cups."

* * *

Fitz's heart was pounding so hard he was sure that Jemma could hear it. They were sitting on a sofa in the Chem building's deserted lounge, talking about classes and classmates and instructors and sipping their hot chocolate and all he could think about was her lips. 

_Just kiss her. Just lean over and and do it._

He was frozen with indecision. _I **think** she wants me to kiss her? But what if she doesn't? I can't just plant one on her and hope it's okay. Can I?_

"Tina would **die** if she knew we were on a date right now," Jemma laughed

"Tina?" Fitz frowned. _The look. If I give her the look and she gives it back then I know I can kiss her._

"Apparently," Jemma rolled her eyes while still smiling. "She thinks we'd be good together. As a couple."

"A couple?" Fitz asked weakly. _How do I do the bloody look again?_

"I overheard her talking with Josie about how much she wishes you and I would go on a date," Jemma explained, looking down to fiddle with the plastic lid of her cup. "She feels pretty strongly about it."

 _Look at her like she's amazing? But she **is** amazing. So I'm **always** looking at her like that._ "I wonder why?" he asked distractedly.

"I'm not sure **she** knows," Jemma shrugged, lifting the cup lid and then putting it back on again and again.

 _What do I do if I can't do the look?_ He put his own empty cup on the coffee table and then took Jemma's gently from her nervous grasp and put it next to his. "How do **you** feel about us being a couple?" he asked, taking one of her hands in one of his and staring at them rather than looking at her face.

Jemma shifted in her seat and when he looked up, **she** was giving **him** the look. "I feel pretty strongly about it," she whispered.

"Me too," he whispered back, leaning forward. _You can always **ask** her_ _if_ - 

His eyes closed as Jemma leaned forward to meet him and her lips pressed against his. They were all softness and sweetness and tasted like hot chocolate and they fit perfectly against his.

And then he wasn't thinking at all because he was kissing Jemma.


	10. Epilogue

By the time Monday came around, Fitz had kissed Jemma 38 more times, and she had kissed him 41. Not that he was keeping score or anything. He just found that keeping track helped him remember that it wasn't all a dream. 

Meeting her in the hallway outside of Chem lab, he smiled and took her hand. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked. _If we do this then everyone knows and there's no turning back._

Jemma smiled back and stood up on her toes to kiss his cheek. _It's this or shout it from the roof, and I'm pretty sure that would get us in trouble._ "Completely," she answered, squeezing his hand and tugging him into the lab behind her.

A rush of whispers traveled across the room from the door to the windows as they walked in holding hands. Gossip had started Saturday night when Fitz had been seen pacing outside of Jemma's dorm room looking nervous, and now it appeared that something had indeed happened between them.

"Is it just me," Fitz whispered out of the corner of his mouth, "Or are we the centre of attention." _Do none of these people have lives of their own?_

"We are," Jemma whispered back. _And they haven't seen anything yet._

They walked over to their usual lab bench, trying to ignore the stares, and started setting up for class.

Tina kept looking at them from her spot one bench over, but she was obviously trying not to stare. Her bottom lip was caught so tight between her teeth that it was turning white, and she was obviously bursting with the desire to say something.

Jemma looked at Fitz and raised her eyebrows. _Ready?_

Fitz smiled and shrugged and nodded back. _As I'll ever be._

"Tina?" Fitz said, leaning past Jemma to address her.

"Yeah?" Tina said, looking over as if she were just mildly curious.

"I just wanted to thank you for your advice last week."

"What about it?" Tina asked, her face full of anticipation.

 "Well..." Fitz said shyly, brushing a hand through his hair. 

Jemma turned to Tina and smiled at her. "It worked," she said simply. And then she turned to Fitz tilted her head up and he kissed her.

She'd meant to keep her eyes open, to see how Tina reacted to it all, to get a good laugh at how silly the whole thing was now in hindsight. But she still wasn't used to the wonderful feeling of Fitz's lips pressing against hers, and her eyelids fluttered closed so she could concentrate fully on the experience.

Fitz's eyes closed as his whole body tingled and all thoughts of their plan left his brain entirely. He was kissing Jemma, and everything else could go hang.

Tina stared, mouth open for a half a second before clamping a hand over her mouth to contain her excited scream. There was no way she was interrupting this. Closing her eyes in pure happiness, she did a ridiculous, silent dance of celebration.

FitzSimmons were together. All was right with the world.


End file.
